Department for Transport

Transport

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish a draft Modern Transport Bill.

Mr John Hayes: The final date for the introduction of the Modern Transport Bill will be announced in due course.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects a permanent Chief Executive at HS2 Ltd to be appointed.

Andrew Jones: HS2 Ltd’s recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive is on track. We expect the successful candidate to be in post this summer subject to any notice periods that may have to be agreed with the individual’s existing employers.

High Speed Two

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the MP hotline for HS2 Ltd will be set up and operational.

Andrew Jones: HS2 Ltd is in the process of setting up the hotline, which will be in place no later than Royal Assent for Phase One of HS2.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when a permanent High Speed 2 Construction Commissioner will be appointed.

Andrew Jones: The permanent Construction Commissioner will be appointed by an independent body which will be set up following Royal Assent.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications have been received for High Speed 2 road safety fund monies; and from whom.

Andrew Jones: The Road Safety funding is not available until after Royal Assent of the HS2 Bill and, as such no applications have been received. Further details of how this fund will allocated will be announced shortly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, over what period of time the High Speed 2 Community and Environment Fund and Business and Local Economy Fund will be available; and when applications for funding will open.

Andrew Jones: Applications for funding for both the Community and Environment Fund and Business and Local Economy Fund will be opened following the Phase One Bill receiving Royal Assent. Both funds will continue to accept applications and award grants for a year following the start of Phase One operations in 2027.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department permits its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: I can confirm my department currently does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.

Council Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (a) how many people live in local authority housing in (i) Newcastle upon Tyne, (ii) the North East and (iii) England and (b) what proportion of such people are in receipt of housing benefit.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 11 January 2017



The Department's English Housing Survey estimates that in England 7% (1.6 million) of households lived in local authority housing in 2014-15 and about 61% of these were in receipt of Housing Benefit. Estimates are not available for local authority district and the Department does not publish regional estimates.

Land: Contamination

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding streams are available to communities that require remediation of contaminated land.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 11 January 2017



Funding for local authorities to fulfil their duties to identify and remediate contaminated land is provided through the local government finance settlement. The provisional settlement was announced on 15 December; this is the second year of a four year settlement where local authority core spending power is set to increase from £44.5 billion in 2015-16 to £44.7 billion in 2019-20.

EU Grants and Loans

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms are in place to enable the Government to assess whether funding will be agreed for specific European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund projects signed since the Autumn Statement 2016; how such projects will be assessed against the two criteria of value for money and alignment with domestic priorities; and whether such assessments will be undertaken before or after agreements have been signed.

Andrew Percy: Holding answer received on 11 January 2017



DCLG and DWP assess funding applications for the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund and draw on the advice of local partners to ensure that they meet robust criteria on value for money and support for domestic priorities before contracts are agreed.

Accommodation Agencies: Fees and Charges

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of letting agent fees on the ability of homeless people go access private tenancies.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 11 January 2017



We are committed to doing all we can to prevent homelessness. We made a significant investment of nearly £14 million from 2010 to 2016 for Crisis to develop a programme to help single homeless people access private rented sector accommodation. Over 9,000 people were helped, with over 90% maintaining tenancies for at least 6 months.There is evidence that letting agents’ fees have increased significantly in recent years, and Citizens’ Advice found that a majority of tenants experienced problems paying these fees.The Government is keen to see all tenants receiving a good service from their landlord and letting agent. That is why we announced in the Autumn Statement a ban on letting agent fees paid by tenants in England. Tenants will be better able to search around for properties that suit their budget and there will be no hidden costs.The Government will consult later in the year on the detail of how best to implement a ban. An impact assessment will follow the consultation and the effect of the ban on homeless people will be considered as part of this work.

Floods: Property Development

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what powers local authorities have to enforce flood planning conditions on new houses being built.

Gavin Barwell: Local planning authorities have a wide range of powers to tackle breaches of planning control. Failure to comply with a planning condition would normally be dealt with by serving a breach of condition notice or an enforcement notice requiring the recipient to remedy the breach. Full details of their powers can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ensuring-effective-enforcement.

Housing Estates: Regeneration

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29619, how much of the £140 million fund relating to the redevelopment of 100 sink estates has been allocated to date.

Gavin Barwell: The £140million Estate Regeneration Fund was launched on 8 December 2016 alongside the publication of the Estate Regeneration National Strategy. Following extensive engagement with over 120 schemes around the country, an additional £32m of enabling and capacity building grant was made available.Initial registrations for the £140m recoverable investment funding have already been received and funding allocations will be announced when the assessment process is completed.Allocations for the £32m grant funding will be made in the current financial year.

Local Government Finance

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the recommendations set out in the Casey Review, if he will ensure that changes in the level of immigration are taken into account in the forthcoming fair funding review on local government finance.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Communities and Local Government: Labour Mobility

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in each unit of his Department are in the redeployment pool.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 11 January 2017



None of the Department's staff are currently surplus and held in the redeployment pool.

Parking

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to produce a report on the consultation, entitled Parking reform: tackling unfair practices, which opened on 1 March 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer the Hon member to the answer given to question 54482 by myself on the 1st December.

Planning Permission

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has given to planning inspectors on the limitations of development arising from (a) inadequate transport and social infrastructure and (b) national areas being designated as requiring protection.

Gavin Barwell: The Government’s planning policies for sustainable development are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework constitutes guidance for local planning authorities and decision takers, including planning inspectors, both in drawing up plans and as a material consideration in determining planning applications.The Framework expects local authorities to plan for the development and infrastructure required in their area, including infrastructure for transport. They should also set out their strategic priorities and policies to deliver health, community and cultural infrastructure and other local facilities. The cumulative impact of development, and the need for infrastructure to support development, are material considerations in deciding whether development is appropriate. The Framework also sets out policies for conserving and enhancing the natural environment, including strong protection for National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.The Framework is supported by planning practice guidance.

Local Government Finance

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of changes in the rate of core spending power per dwelling between (a) 2009-10 and 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 and 2019-20 for (i) Bournemouth Borough Council and (ii) England.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Houses

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will remove permitted development rights of pubs to reduce pub closures.

Gavin Barwell: From 6 April 2015, the permitted development rights for change of use or demolition are removed for those pubs the community has demonstrated that it values the most by having nominated them as an Asset of Community Value. Permitted development rights do not apply for as long as the pub is nominated or listed as an Asset of Community Value, and a planning application is required for the change of use or demolition of the building. Any pub can be nominated as an Asset of Community Value.

Public Houses

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to publish the response to the consultation on restricted covenants for pubs carried out in 2011.

Gavin Barwell: The Department carried out a consultation into whether the use of restrictive covenants by pub companies was having a negative effect on communities since, once sold with such a covenant, a pub could not continue to be used as a pub by its new owners. The consultation drew only a small number of responses and it was concluded that there was an insufficient evidence base to justify legislative action by the Government. Some respondents argued that such a use of restrictive covenants did have an impact upon communities, but others disagreed and maintained they are rarely used. We will seek to publish the response to this consultation in due course and are willing to consider the issue further if sufficient evidence is provided in the future.

Community Assets

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many successful registrations of assets of community value have been listed in each of the last five years; and how many of those successful registrations were pubs.

Gavin Barwell: In November 2016 the Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned work to ascertain how many assets have been listed as Assets of Community Value (ACVs). There are currently around 4,000 ACVs listed in England and 1,750 of these are pubs.

Planning Permission

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure pre-commencement conditions do not delay development.

Gavin Barwell: Imposing unnecessary or otherwise unacceptable pre-commencement conditions on a grant of planning permission can result in unnecessary and avoidable delays and costs to the completion of new development. That is why, as part of the Neighbourhood Planning Bill, we are pursuing measures to ensure that these conditions do not cause unreasonable delays to the delivery of new homes.The measures in the Bill are two-fold. First, to require local planning authorities to seek the written agreement of the applicant to the terms of any pre-commencement conditions before granting permission subject to such conditions. Second, we are seeking a power for the Secretary of State to prescribe descriptions of conditions and circumstances when such conditions may not be imposed. These provisions are aimed at ensuring that any planning condition meets the well-established policy tests for conditions as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Parking: Trade Associations

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will require private car parking firms to join an accredited trade association.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of his Department's staff he plans to allocate to support EU negotiations on EU research funding programmes after Article 50 has been triggered.

Joseph Johnson: Departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal as we exit the European Union. This whole exercise is an all-government operation. The government is preparing for the UK to make an orderly and successful exit, including in the important area of research.

Tidal Power: Bristol Channel

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of proposals for tidal lagoons in the Bristol Channel, including off Cardiff.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Disclosure of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish Ministers' transparency details for July to September 2016.

Margot James: Transparency data for Ministers covering the period July to September 2016 was published on Gov.uk on 16th December 2016:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy&publication_type=transparency-data

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help carbon-intensive industries to reduce emissions.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Minimum Wage

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps the Government has taken against employers for not paying the national minimum wage.

Margot James: HM Revenue and Customs always investigate where they believe an employer is not paying the legal minimum wage, which includes following up every worker complaint they receive. The latest available figures show that HMRC identified almost £10.3m of arrears owed to over 58,000 workers in 2015/16. From April 2016 the Government doubled the National Minimum Wage penalty paid by employers from 100% to 200% of the arrears owed to the worker, up to a maximum of £20,000 per worker. We have also increased HMRC’s enforcement budget from £13m in 2015/16 to £20m in 2016/17, and my Right Honourable friend the Chancellor announced a further £4.3m investment in the 2016 Autumn Statement. This additional funding has enabled an increase in the number of compliance officers available to investigate minimum wage abuses and allowed HMRC to conduct more proactive, risk-based enforcement in sectors where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the co-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council held in October 2015, if he will make representations to the government of Sri Lanka to respect its commitments and allow international prosecutors to investigate allegations of violations of international humanitarian law in that country; and if he will encourage his international counterparts to make similar such representations.

Alok Sharma: We welcomed the historic co-sponsorship by Sri Lanka of Resolution 30/1 at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October 2015 committing it to reconciliation, accountability and the protection of human rights. While Sri Lanka has made progress against the commitments made in the resolution, much remains to be done. The High Commissioner for Human Rights will present his final progress report at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2017. Our long standing position is that Sri Lanka should implement the commitments in Resolution 30/01, including its commitment to accountability. Ministers and senior officials have underlined the importance of Sri Lanka delivering in full on its UNHRC commitments in recent discussions with representatives of the Sri Lankan government and with our international partners. We have done so while recognising the scale of the challenge this represents and the importance of allowing time for credible, well thought out transitional justice mechanisms to be developed and implemented.

Ascension Island: Aviation

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what biosecurity standards apply to equipment and construction materials imported into Ascension Island in order to resurface the island runway.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Ascension Island Government's new Biosecurity Officer is working to strengthen biosecurity measures for the Island. As part of this, key stakeholders, including those involved in the runway resurfacing, will be consulted, in order to ensure that future imports will not risk introducing new species that could have a negative impact on the island's important biodiversity, or pose a threat to human health.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Equality

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who the diversity champion is on his departmental board.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Board Diversity Champion is Karen Pierce, Chief Operating Officer.

Cayman Islands: Turtles

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that British citizens travelling to the Cayman Islands are aware of the practice of farming the Cayman Turtle for use in the tourism industry.

Sir Alan Duncan: Neither I nor The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwelath Affairs, my Noble Friend, the Rt Hon. the Baroness Anelay of St Johns, the FCO Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, have had discussions with the Cayman Islands government about the Cayman Turtle Centre (previously known as the Cayman Turtle Farm). Responsibility for animal welfare and tourism, including policies governing the Cayman Turtle Centre, is devolved to the elected government of the Cayman Islands under the terms of their Constitution.FCO travel advice provides information and advice to help British nationals have a trouble-free time abroad. It does not offer information and advice on ethical issues such as the practice of keeping animals in captivity.

Cayman Islands: Turtles

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Cayman Island counterpart on preventing the practice of farming the Cayman Turtle for meat and tourist entertainment.

Sir Alan Duncan: Neither I nor The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, the FCO Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, have had discussions with the Cayman Islands government about farming the Cayman Turtle for meat and tourist entertainment. Responsibility for animal welfare and tourism, is devolved to the elected government of the Cayman Islands under the terms of their Constitution.

Overseas Aid

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much of his Department's spending falls under the definition of official development assistance in the current financial year.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The FCO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation for FY 2016/17 is £466m.

Syria: International Assistance

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to discuss with his international counterparts plans to expedite air drops in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Getting humanitarian aid to Syrians trapped in besieged areas is one of our top priorities. Over 570,000 people remain in areas besieged by the Syrian regime. We have regular discussions with our international partners, including on methods for delivering humanitarian assistance to besieged populations in Syria. There are huge obstacles to carrying out airdrops, not least the risk to aircraft from regime air defences or terrorist groups. However, we rule nothing out and maintain every effort to help those in besieged areas. Most recently on 19 December we helped secure UN Security Council Resolution 2328 which demanded full access for the UN across Syria.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to provide assistance to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ministers and officials have repeatedly made representations on all consular cases involving British nationals in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's, at all levels, with the Iranian Government. I personally raised these cases when I met the Iranian Ambassador on 7 December and our Ambassador in Iran will continue to raise these cases with the Iranian Government at every available opportunity in Tehran.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department permits its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.

Falkland Islands: Oil

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Argentinian counterpart on UK oil drilling in the Falkland Islands since the beginning of 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK supports the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit and I have made this clear to my Argentine counterparts. I welcome the UK-Argentine Joint Statement, agreed during my visit to Argentina in September, in which Argentina agreed that appropriate measures would be taken to remove all obstacles limiting the economic growth and sustainable development of the Falkland Islands, including through the development of its oil and gas industry.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what preparations (a) his Department and (b) the British Embassy in Belgrade undertook in advance of his State Visit to Serbia in November 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: State Visits are only conducted by Her Majesty the Queen.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what dates the first multilateral discussions with other signatories of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are planned.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK will participate in multilateral discussions with other signatories. At the present time, no date has been set for these discussions.

Berlin: Security

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security situation in Berlin since the terrorist attacks in that city on 19 December 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: At the time of the attack in Berlin on 19 December, we judged that there was a high threat from terrorism in Germany. This was and continues to be reflected in Foreign Office Travel Advice. Following the attack, the German authorities have increased security measures across the country. An investigation by the German authorities into the attack is ongoing.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what amendments the Government proposed to drafts of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Sir Alan Duncan: The drafting of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was led by the US Government. British officials worked throughout the process with their US and other international colleagues to shape the content.

Cluster Munitions

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on whether the use of cluster munitions is always a contravention of international humanitarian law.

Sir Alan Duncan: Whether he use of cluster munitions is in contravention of international humanitarian law is a matter of law, not policy. The use of cluster munitions by States which are not State Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions is not in itself unlawful provided that they are not used in a contravention of international humanitarian law. The UK is a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. We continue to discourage the use of cluster munitions and to urge all non-State Parties to accede to the Convention without delay.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Ministerial Corrections

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what date his predecessor was informed of errors in answers to Parliamentary Questions and Statements on Yemen which resulted in the correction of 21 July 2016, HCWS125, being issued.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An update was sent to the Private Office of the previous Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 28 June.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Freedom of Information Request Ref: 0709, Breaches of international humanitarian law Yemen, which Minister referenced is of the opinion that the disclosure of the information concerned would be likely to inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the covering letter in response to the Freedom of Information request states, some of the information that was requested is exempt under Sections 35(1)(a) and 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of the FOI Act.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Freedom of Information Request Ref: 0709, Breaches of international humanitarian law Yemen, on what date his predecessor agreed the corrections made.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The previous Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) approved the amendments to Hansard and the draft letter to Hillary Benn on 13 July.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Freedom of Information Request Ref: 0709, Breaches of international humanitarian law Yemen, on what date he was made aware that incorrect answers had been given to Parliament.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I was made aware of the corrections on 20 July.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Freedom of Information Request Ref: 0709, Breaches of international humanitarian law Yemen, on what date his predecessor was made aware that incorrect answers had been given to Parliament.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the information released under the Freedom of Information Request Ref: 07/09 includes, an update was sent to the Private Office of the previous Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 28 June.

Syria: Diplomatic Relations

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2016 to Question 57778, whether there are any circumstances in which it is Government policy to re-establish diplomatic links with the Assad regime.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Government has not severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Since the withdrawal of our staff from the British Embassy in Damascus in February 2012 and the closure of the Syrian Embassy in London in August 2012, our dealings have been minimal and only in relation to essential consular or administration issues. We believe the Asad regime has lost all legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people and that a sustainable political settlement in Syria requires a political transition.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Labour Mobility

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants in each unit of his Department are in the redeployment pool.

Kris Hopkins: No civil servants in the Department are in a redeployment pool.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many former non-state actors who were formerly paramilitaries have been charged following a referral by the Northern Ireland Historical Enquiries Team to the Police Service of Northern Ireland or Public Prosecution Service.

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) current and (b) former members of the Armed Forces currently under investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Legacy Investigations Branch were previously informed by the Northern Ireland Historical Enquiries Team that there would be no further action against them.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information.Operational matters relating to the Historical Enquiries Team and the Legacy Investigations Branch are the responsibility of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Immigration

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy in immigration negotiations with the EU that (a) there is no discrimination between applicants on the basis of their country of origin and (b) no preferential access is granted for citizens of EU member states.

Mr David Jones: The Department for Exiting the European Union is working closely with the Home Office to consider the range of options as to how migration of EU nationals might work once we have left. We are assessing the pros and cons of each potential option, including how EU nationals might be treated compared to others under these options.Our ambition is to create an immigration system that allows us to control numbers and encourage the brightest and the best to come to this country, as part of a stable and prosperous future with the EU and our European partners.

Legal Profession: EU Law

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provisions of the Lawyer Services Directive after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU. This Great Repeal Bill will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK. The Bill will preserve EU-derived legislation, including applicable European Court of Justice (ECJ) case law where appropriate, as it applies in the UK on exit day. The Government will set out the content of the Bill and its implications in due course.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Equality

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, who the diversity champion is on his departmental board.

Guto Bebb: The Deputy Director, Wales Office Legal Advisers is the diversity champion on the Wales Office Board. The Civil Service introduced diversity champions as part of the Talent Action Plan commitment to have champions in all departments. The Government uses diversity champions to provide an overall insight for all protected characteristics, including LGBT, Race, Religion or Belief, Gender, Disability, Social Mobility, Age, Carers, Gender Reassignment etc.

Wales Office: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department permits its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. Staff are generally employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). MoJ currently does not have a policy to provide access to credit union services through payroll deductions.

Department for Education

Schools: Debts

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received on schools covering costs on behalf of parents and the ensuing parental debt.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data is held by her Department on levels of parental debt owed to schools.

Edward Timpson: The department does not hold data from which to supply the information requested.

Skills Funding Agency: Staff

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2016 to Question 56731, how many staff of the Skills Funding Agency will be located at each of its offices after 31 March 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: We are unable to provide future workforce numbers across each site. Our current workforce data shows that, as at 19 December, 2016, the Skills Funding Agency has 647 staff in the following offices: LocationLondonNottinghamBirminghamCoventryLeedsSheffieldGatesheadManchesterReadingBristolPlymouthInc. Work from home, Field work, Mobile, etc.TotalSkills Funding Agency Staff1111137286481045402413157647

Schools: Defibrillators

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have installed a defibrillator.

Edward Timpson: We do not hold information on the number of schools that have installed an automated external defibrillator on schools grounds, as the purchasing of a defibrillator is a matter for individual head teachers.We know however how important swift access to a defibrillator can be in cases of cardiac arrest, which is why the Government is encouraging schools and other eligible settings to purchase a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment. To make it as easy as possible for schools to do so, the Department has negotiated a deal with NHS Supply Chain to offer defibrillators to schools at a reduced cost. Since the scheme was launched in November 2014, 1831 defibrillators have been purchased through this route.

Further Education

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to announce measures for further education as part of her reforms to young people's mental health.

Edward Timpson: Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is a priority for this Government, as the Prime Minister highlighted in her annual Charity Commission lecture which she delivered on 9 January. The Prime Minister announced an extension of the Single Point of Contact joint training pilot and a new peer support pilot. We will look to see how we can specifically ensure that Further Education colleges are engaged. We have already agreed to work with the Association of Colleges in order to share good practice examples of work being undertaken to support the mental health of students. In addition, we will continue to work with the further education sector as a whole as we develop the children and young people’s green paper.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Literacy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce compulsory literacy classes for prisoners assessed as having poor literacy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Education is key to helping prisoners turn their lives around and in particular to securing employment which we know reduces the likelihood of reoffending. Alongside introducing a core common curriculum, focussing on maths and English, we will empower Governors to put in place a framework of incentives to encourage participation by those prisoners with poor literacy skills.

Personal Injury: Compensation

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 130 of her Department's consultation entitled, Reforming the Soft Tissue Injury Claims Process, published in November 2016, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that credit hire costs added up to £10 per policy to car insurance premiums.

Sir Oliver Heald: The range of £3 to £10 which formed part of the call for evidence section of the consultation document was based on figures from a variety of reports and investigations carried out by the Office of Fair Trading, the Competition Commission, the Competition and Markets Authority and from industry sources.

Prison Officers: Sick Leave

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what number of days of sick leave have been recorded by prison officers in each year since 2010; and what number of those were as a consequence of violence within prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: NOMS takes the issue of violence against staff very seriously. It currently has systems in place to deal with perpetrators quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution. It is working closely with the police and CPS to develop a new joint protocol to report crimes in prison, this includes pushing for prosecutions when prison staff are attacked. NOMS does not currently publish sickness absence rates for prison officers, but these will be published for the first time in the NOMS Workforce Bulletin on 16 February 2017. This data will include data on approved claims for sick leave excusal, whereby a period of absence that can be attributed to an assault at work does not count against the officer's allowance of sick pay.

Leader of the House

Criminal Finances Bill

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Leader of the House, when he expects the report stage of the Criminal Finances Bill 2016-17 to take place.

Mr David Lidington: As the Hon Member is aware, I announce forthcoming business every Thursday morning at Business Questions.Further proceedings on the Criminal Finances Bill 2016-17 and all other future business will be announced in the usual way.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many unpaid internships there are in her Department.

Matt Hancock: The department participates in the Movement to Work programme which provides vocational training and work experience that helps thousands of unemployed young people, giving them the skills, training and confidence to find a job. DCMS are also an active participant in the CS Summer Diversity Internship Programme.

Broadband: Voucher Schemes

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, where the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk can find reference to the consultation for a new voucher scheme for broadband which the Minister for Digital and Culture stated had been announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 in his oral contributions of 28 November 2016.

Matt Hancock: My Department published the Call for Evidence on local fibre proposals announced at Autumn Statement on 28th December.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: iNHouse Communications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is in communication with iNHouse Communications Ltd in relation to any ongoing commercial tender process.

Matt Hancock: The Department can confirm following a detailed search of its internal record systems that iNHouse Communications Ltd are not a registered supplier and consequently there are no records of any commercial contracts being awarded during the past five years.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: iNHouse Communications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has awarded any commercial contracts to iNHouse Communications Ltd in the last five years.

Matt Hancock: The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has not awarded any commercial contracts to iNHouse Communications Ltd in the last five years.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the effect on (a) mobile coverage of uneven mobile spectrum holdings and (b) the potential benefits of introducing a 30 per cent cap on those holdings.

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the correlation between prices in the mobile phones market and the uneven distribution of mobile spectrum.

Matt Hancock: This is a matter for Ofcom. DCMS has noted Ofcom's competition and consumer assessment, as set out in its successive consultations on the forthcoming auction of 2.3 and 3.4 GHz spectrum.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made by (a) the National Trust and (b) National Parks England in providing proposals to her Department that outline better engagement with communications providers to tackle mobile not spots, as requested at her Department's not spot summit in February 2016.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon Gentleman to my answer to PQ 56388.

Museums and Galleries

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2016 to Question 57594, on museums and galleries, which 14 museums she visited.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2016 to Question 57595, on museums and galleries, which 14 museums she visited. 59168A: Since her appointment, the Secretary of State has visited 16 museums and galleries in an official capacity. This includes two museums in Scotland and two institutions overseas:British Museum,Design Museum, London,Imperial War Museum, London,Museum of Liverpool, part of National Museums Liverpool,Museum of Tomorrow, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,National Gallery, London,National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh,Natural History Museum, London,New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester,Qin Tomb Terracotta Warriors and Horses, China,Royal Collection at Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh,Science Museum, London,Tate Britain, London,Tate Liverpool,Tate Modern, London, andTate St Ives.

Digital Technology

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 57046, whether her Department plans to publish a digital strategy.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon Gentleman to my answer to PQ 57046.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: iNHouse Communications

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has awarded any commercial contracts to iNHouse Communications Ltd in the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Between April 2011 and March 2016 DWP awarded no contracts to iNHouse Communications Ltd.

Industrial Health and Safety: Fines

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total amount levied in health and safety fines on businesses since 2014; and what amount has been levied in each business sector.

Penny Mordaunt: Statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in November 2016 show that, in 2014/15 and 2015/16, prosecutions in Great Britain instituted by HSE for health and safety offences (or referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland) led to fines totalling £56.3 million. The figures include fines imposed on individuals and all types of organisation. The table below provides a breakdown by year and industrial sector. The data does not include fines resulting from health and safety prosecutions taken by other enforcing organisations such as the Crown Prosecution Service, Office of Road and Rail, or the Office for Nuclear Regulation. Total fines for prosecution cases instituted by HSE1 in Great Britain2, by industrial sector 2014/153 & 2015/16pIndustrial sector4  2014/15  2015/16pAll Industries£18,072,811£38,266,663Agriculture£823,944£612,720Mining and Quarrying£473,015£4,164,120Manufacturing£4,673,116£12,105,301Utility Supply£51,135£4,512,000Water Supply/Waste Management£2,056,270£1,840,445Construction£4,258,992£7,805,975Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants£367,611£603,202Transportation and Storage£1,062,698£3,335,515Communications, Business Services and Finance£1,702,070£1,228,875Public Administration£312,120£350,515Education£160,125£304,115Human Health and Social Work activities£1,167,000£967,120Arts, Entertainment and Recreation; Other Service activities£964,715£436,760Notes1 HSE does not hold published statistics for the same period that show the level of fines arising from prosecutions instituted by local authorities.2 In Scotland, HSE investigate potential offences but cannot institute legal proceedings. HSE send a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). COPFS makes the final decision whether to institute legal proceedings and which offences are taken.3 Year of prosecution is based on when a result has been secured i.e. the prosecution has been completed. The year is from the beginning of April to the end of March.4 Industrial sector is defined by Section level of the UK Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC2007).p= provisional

Employment: Disability

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) the Department of Health and (ii) Public Health England on developing the evidence base on long-term health conditions, including degenerative and fluctuating health conditions and work outcomes following the publication in November 2016 of the work, health and disability green paper: improving lives.

Penny Mordaunt: ‘Improving Lives: The Work Health and Disability Green Paper’ was published in October 2016 and was a joint publication by the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health. The Departments worked closely with Public Health England during the development of the Green Paper. Ministers and officials therefore meet on an on-going basis and officials work together in the joint DWP/DH Work and Health Unit. The Green Paper makes a specific commitment to build the evidence base on long-term health conditions. Both Departments will jointly consider next steps, which will be determined by the responses received through the national consultation, which is underway currently.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to change testing criteria for (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment and support allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: We continually keep the assessment criteria for Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) under review. As announced on 1 October 2016, we will stop requiring people with the most severe, lifetime conditions to be repeatedly assessed for ESA and Universal Credit. Over the coming months we will work with our health assessment provider, medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop a set of criteria to switch off re-assessments for people with the most severe health conditions or disabilities. In addition the Green Paper, launched on 31 October 2016 explores a range of options, and points to long-term reform, including how we might simplify and improve the assessment process for people with health conditions.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many personal independence payment (PIP) claimants who lost their entitlement to a Motability vehicle successfully appealed and were awarded a new Motability vehicle, (b) what proportion of PIP claimants whose award was reduced, or who were awarded a lower rate of PIP than they previously received for disability living allowance, so that they were no longer eligible for a Motability vehicle, successfully challenged that decision on appeal and (c) what the cost of supplying new replacement Motability vehicles has been (i) on average per person and (ii) in total over each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: We cannot provide this data as it does not meet the quality standard required for official statistics publicationStatistics on PIP appeals, including the proportion and number of those appeals that were successful, are published online and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.In addition, breakdowns of PIP reassessment claims by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) are published online at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Motability is an independent organisation and is responsible for its own management information, including information on its own operating costs.

Work Programme

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a person starting their own business is required to stay on the Work Programme in order to continue to receive related benefits.

Damian Hinds: Once referred, a claimant will stay on the Work Programme for two years, as long as they continue to claim out of work benefits.

Child Poverty Unit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2016 to Question 57065, on what date was responsibility for child poverty policy and analysis transferred to his Department from the Child Poverty Unit.

Damian Hinds: The provisions in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 that repealed the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and the associated requirements to publish a child poverty strategy were enacted on 16 March 2016 and came into force on 16 May 2016. As with other machinery of government changes, the policy and analytical functions of the Child Poverty Unit were gradually transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions in line with the planned commencement of the new legislation.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of its policies of the Supreme Court ruling in November 2016 on the under occupancy penalty; and what estimate he has made of how many people in (a) Southwark and (b) England were incorrectly charged.

Caroline Nokes: We are considering the Supreme Court judgment and what changes are required to comply with its terms, including additional exemptions where appropriate. Claims are assessed by local authorities in line with the Housing Benefit or Universal Credit regulations that apply at the time. Claimants affected by the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy policy are able to apply to their local authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment. In the previous Parliament, we significantly increased funding for Discretionary Housing Payments to £470 million and we have already committed a further £870 million in Discretionary Housing Payment funding between 2016/17 and 2020/21.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his oral contribution of 9 January 2017, on health outcomes: work, what the evidential basis is for his statement that his Department will spend an extra £330 million on employment support for employment support allowance claimants compared with current arrangements under the Work Programme and Work Choice.

Penny Mordaunt: At Summer Budget 2015, the Chancellor announced a support package of £330m over four years to provide support for people with limited capability for work from April 17. In the Improving Lives, the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper we provided details of this new Personal Support Package. The £330m additional funding is targeted at new ESA Work Related Activity Group and UC Limited Capability for Work claimants from April 2017 and will deliver a broad range of employment and health support. This will rise from £60m in 2017/18 to £100m in 2020/21. In addition to the £330m announced at Summer Budget 2015, the 2015 Spending Review announced funding rising to at least £130 million a year by 2019/20 for the new Work and Health Programme. This will provide a new approach which builds on the strengths and lessons learned of current contracted provision including Work Choice and the Work Programme. The 2017/18 support also consists of a number of trials and proofs of concept to build our evidence base of what works and we will evaluate these measures to build a robust evidence which can inform future years of funding.

Food Banks

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Ministers of his Department have visited a food bank since their appointment; and what the date of each such visit was.

Damian Hinds: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his Ministers have not visited a food bank since their appointment. Secretary of State had a productive meeting with Trussell Trust on 28 November 2016. Jobcentre Plus District Managers have discretion to work with food banks in their own areas if they are invited and if resources are available, as part of their wider community outreach work and we will make sure this continuing advice is communicated appropriately.

Jobcentres: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to enable organisations to provide computer skills training to claimants within Jobcentre Plus.

Damian Hinds: DWP has processes in place which enable organisations to provide skills to claimants within Jobcentre Plus. This includes IT/computer skills training which is funded through the Flexible Support Fund. The Universal Credit Programme has made available Universal Support funding to Local Authorities for Assisted Digital Support (ADS).

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter to the Benefit Director on 6 December 2016 on employment and support allowance; and what the reasons are for the delay in responding to that letter.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for Work and Pensions offers its apology for the delay in responding. We have been investigating the issues raised in your letter to the Benefit Director on 6 December. Whilst the Department aims to provide a full response to MP enquires on behalf of their constituents within 15 working days, there will be occasions where, for a variety of reasons this is not possible. In this case additional information received from the customer generated further enquiries. Regrettably, the MP's office was not kept informed of progress when it became clear in this particular case there would be a delay. A full response has now been issued to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether in his meetings with the Benefits Director he has discussed the process of replies being sent to hon. Members.

Penny Mordaunt: The Secretary of State holds regular meetings with the Director General, Operations to discuss operational matters and performance. The process of replies being sent to hon. Members has not featured in discussions to date, primarily because the Department’s performance in respect of the timeliness of responses is broadly on track. For the calendar year 2016, 89% of responses to hon. Members were issued within 15 days, against a target of 90% in 15 days. The 90% target reflects the fact that some matters raised by hon. Members can be particularly complex and, in such cases, it is not always possible to respond within 15 days.

Carer's Allowance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in receipt of carers allowance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people claiming carer's allowance by age in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested on the number of indvidiuals in receipt of Carer’s Allowance is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp  The information requested on the total number of individuals entitled to Carer’s Allowance, including those not in receipt of a payment, is published and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Social Security Benefits: Cardiff South and Penarth

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals were subject to benefit sanctions and for what reason in each of the last 12 months in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency.

Damian Hinds: The available information on sanctions is available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Personal Independence Payment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the outcome of his Department's consultation, Personal Independence Payment Assessment, published in July 2016.

Penny Mordaunt: The Second Independent Review of Personal Independence Payment is due to be published and laid before Parliament by 8 April 2017.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what involvement UK armed forces personnel have had in training Saudi armed forces in (a) cluster bomb use, (b) air warfare skills and (c) artillery techniques.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department provided training programmes to the Saudi Arabian-led military coalition in (a) air warfare skills and artillery techniques and (b) the use of cluster munitions between 1980 and 2015.

Sir Michael Fallon: UK Armed Forces personnel have had no involvement intraining Saudi armed forces in the use of cluster munitions since the UK signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008.The UK has provided training courses for Royal Saudi Air Force personnel and artillery training for the Royal Saudi Land Forces.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's policy is on requiring a debate in the House on a substantive motion prior to any planned deployment of the armed forces.

Sir Michael Fallon: I refer the hon.Member to the Written Statement I made on 18 April 2016 (HCWS678).



HCWS678 - Written Statement on Armed Forces Update
(Word Document, 16.76 KB)

HMS Ocean: Decommissioning

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons HMS Ocean is being decommissioned in 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the former Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Philip Dunne) on 4 December 2015 to Question 17860 to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle).



17860 - WQnA extract on HMS Ocean
(Word Document, 14.14 KB)

Type 26 Frigates

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding is still required to complete the work planned for the current year of the Type 26 programme.

Harriett Baldwin: The Type 26 programme's Demonstration Phase is progressing and fully funded to its scheduled completion in June 2017.The start of manufacture of the first batch of the eight planned Type 26 ships in summer 2017 is subject to the conclusion of contract negotiations and the necessary financial approval.The Type 26 programme will ensure jobs on the Clyde until 2035.

Warships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what hangar capability is available on (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark.

Harriett Baldwin: The ships of the Royal Navy's Landing Platform Dock Class (HMS ALBION and BULWARK) provide afloat command and control facilities, and capabilities needed to deploy and sustain the Lead Commando Group ashore, by air and sea.These ships do not have a hangar, but can embark one large helicopter or up to three medium helicopters on the flight deck, and carry the equipment required to support aircraft operations.

Type 26 Frigates

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first Type 26 frigate will be ready to enter service; and when the Type 23 frigates are due to decommission.

Harriett Baldwin: The Type 26 programme schedule, including the planned date for entry into service will be determined at the main investment decision planned for later this year.With regard to the out of service dates for the Type 23 Frigates I would refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my predecessor the former Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr Philip Dunne) on 1 March 2016 to Question 28004 to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry).



28004 - WQnA extract on Type 23 Frigates
(Word Document, 15.04 KB)

HMS Ocean

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the amphibious helicopter lift capabilities of HMS Ocean will be replaced between 2018 and 2023.

Harriett Baldwin: Following the decommissioning of HMS OCEAN and prior to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers being brought into service, a combination of the existing amphibious ships of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will provide the lift capability for our amphibious forces.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is offering to (a) former members of the Armed Forces who are under investigation for incidents that occurred during Operation Banner and (b) the families of those former members.

Mike Penning: Where veterans are being interviewed as potential suspects in connection with incidents that arose as part of their service, taxpayer-funded legal support (including counsel where appropriate) will be provided for as long as is necessary, regardless of how long ago the incident took place, or the length of the veterans' service. The Department will also support any application for anonymity and/or screening that the individual chooses to make in relation to any court appearances that may be necessary. In addition, pastoral care is provided through Regimental Associations, directly by the Ministry of Defence - through Veterans UK - and in partnership with charities who support ex-service personnel, according to each individual's needs and circumstances. This support is provided direct to the veterans themselves; there is no separate programme of support for families in these circumstances, although we would be willing to consider help in individual cases.

Navy: South Atlantic

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are currently performing (a) Falkland Islands Patrol Task and (b) Atlantic Patrol Tasking South.

Mike Penning: HMS ENTERPRISE is currently assigned to the Falkland Islands Patrol Task, and both HMS PORTLAND and RFA GOLD ROVER are assigned to Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South).

Military Bases: Security

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many security breaches there have been at his Department's bases since 2010; and what the nature of each such breach was.

Mark Lancaster: The information provided below lists the number of centrally held Physical security breaches from 2010 to date. Information about physical security breaches prior to 2015 is not held centrally. To provide information as to the nature of each breach would incur disproportionate cost. Front Line Command / Major Business UnitNumber of physical incidents 2015Number of physical incidents 2016AIR1987ARMY322373Defence Equipment and Support2678Defence Infrastructure Organisation119Head Office and Corporate Services11Joint Force Command / Permanent Joint Headquarters1944NAVY88214TOTAL486806

Army: Training

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many available training places have been filled at the (a) Infantry Training School and (b) Army Training Regiment in all cohorts in the last three years.

Mike Penning: The number of Regular Army trainees loaded to initial training at Infantry Training Centre, Catterick, Army Training Centre, Pirbright and Army Training Regiment, Winchester is shown in the attached table.



59082 - Regular Army Trained Trainees
(Word Document, 17.67 KB)

Home Office

Police: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was paid for translation services by each constabulary in the North West of England in 2015.

Brandon Lewis: Based upon the Third party Spend data provided by North West Forces for 2015/16; the following was detailed as being spent on translation and interpretation services;Greater Manchester Police - £786,308Lancashire Constabulary - £222,298Merseyside Police - £199,675Cheshire Police - £116,675Cumbria Constabulary - £11,898

Home Office: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department permits its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office does not currently allow its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions. The Home Office will be looking at the possibility of introducing this option for staff.

Asylum: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to contract fostering agencies directly to take unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the Dublin regulations.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office currently has no plans to contract fostering agencies directly to care for unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children.

Refugees: Children

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many child refugees have been accepted for transfer to the UK under the (a) Dublin III Regulations and (b) Dubs amendment.

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons Eritrean minors have been excluded from her Department's guidance for enacting the Dubs amendment in France.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In 2016, we welcomed over 900 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK, including more than 750 from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance - almost half of the unaccompanied children who were in the camp at the time of the clearance. Approximately 200 of these children met the criteria for section 67 of the Immigration ActIn France, we considered those aged 12 and under of any nationality, children referred to us by the French authorities as being at a high risk of sexual exploitation of any nationality, and those nationalities most likely to qualify for refugee status in the UK, aged 15 and below.The nationality criteria were based on the reasonable likelihood of the children qualifying for refugee status and achieving long-term stability. Eritrean children over the age of 15 do not qualify because the nationality criterion is based on nationalities with a first instance asylum grant rate of 75 per cent or higher in the year to June 2016. Those nationalities are Syrian and Sudanese.

Asylum: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 30 of the report by the Association of Directors of Children's Services Ltd on Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children, published in November 2016, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's funding provided to local authorities for the provision of children's services.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member to the response to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, UIN 57970, on 23 December 2016.

G4S

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department had with G4S prior to the decision to equip G4S welfare officers with body cameras when visiting tenants in G4S properties.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office and our accommodation providers take the welfare of staff and service users extremely seriously and are in regular discussion about ways to improve the service provided. The introduction of body-worn cameras for welfare officers by G4S was undertaken in accordance with the contract and both the Home Office and G4s will continue to monitor their use to ensure that the best wellbeing of staff and service users continue to be appropriately safeguarded.

Asylum: Housing

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what factors were taken into consideration in the decision to extend the asylum housing contracts of G4S and Serco for the 2017 to 2019 period.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In deciding to extend and improve the contracts a range of factors have been carefully considered including value for money for the taxpayer, feedback from stakeholders and service users and the improvements in the standards of accommodation under the contracts, when compared to those achieved under previous contractual arrangements.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of awareness of the requirement for EU students to have comprehensive sickness insurance during their five years' lawful continuous residence in the UK in order to qualify for permanent residence.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The EU Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC) requires that EU nationals hold comprehensive sickness insurance if they wish to study in another EU Member State. This applies across all EU Member States and is reflected in the UK’s Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Home Office’s published guidance.

Refugees: Children

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who arrived in the UK claiming to be under the age of 18 and who were subsequently assessed as being over the age of 18 have since been deported in the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office publish the number of age dispute cases raised and resolved for asylum claimants in the Immigration Statistics release each quarter, in table 10 q:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572377/asylum3-q3-2016-tables.odsIn addition, the number of individuals who were returned in each quarter who had previously lodged an asylum claim is published in table rt 02 q:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572379/returns1-q3-2016-tables.ods

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: Staff

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) wholetime and (b) retained firefighters were employed by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: These figures are collected from fire and rescue services (FRSs) annually, through the Home Office’s Operational Statistics data collection. Published figures for all FRSs in England are available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables#workforce-and-workforce-diversity

South Wales Police: Staff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new (a) PCs, (b) sergeants and (c) inspectors were appointed in South Wales Police in each of the last 24 months.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of officers joining each police force in England and Wales by rank on an annual basis. Data are collected for each financial year. Data for individual months are not held centrally.Data for the last two financial years for which figures are available are provided in the table.These data can also be found in the ‘open data’ tables of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins. The latest statistics, representing the picture as at 31 March 2016, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesThe data include those joining as standard recruits, from the Special Constabulary, as transfers from other police forces, and rejoining after previously leaving the force.Decisions on the size and composition of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities. What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU citizens applying for permanent residency in the UK have had their applications (a) accepted and (b) refused in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Statistics on decisions on applications for Documents Certifying Permanent Residence issued to EEA nationals are published quarterly in table ee_02_q of Immigration Statistics. These include data for granted (hence accepted), and refused applications. The most recent edition (European Economic Area data tables Immigration Statistics July to September 2016) is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572387/eea-q3-2016-tables.ods

Visas

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the costs of repeat visa applications for someone domiciled and married in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has no plans to reduce the fees charged for immigration and nationality services provided to people domiciled and married in the UK.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: Finance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding is planned to be allocated to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service by grant from central government in 2017-18.

Brandon Lewis: DCLG’s has published the provisional 2017-18 settlement figures for consultation:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/settlement-funding-assessment-calculation-model-provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2017-to-2018

Brexit

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the UK leaving the EU on the need for additional departmental staff or other resources.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Prime Minister has instructed all departments to identify potential opportunities that will arise in their areas from EU Exit.The Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) is working closely with every Government department to ensure that the full range of opportunities are taken, and risks mitigated, across every area of Government policy.A central unit has been established to coordinate EU exit work across the Home Office and act as a central contact for DExEU. Units across the HO are also feeding into this work.

Home Office: Re-employment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many members of staff who ceased to be employed by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in the last three years have subsequently been re-employed by her Department on a temporary basis or as a third-party contractor or consultant.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office does not have access to non-departmental public bodies' data and is unable to provide the answer to this part of the question.There were 26 members of staff previously employed as permanent civil servants who left the Department during the 3 years from 1 December 2013 to 30 November 2016 and were recorded as re-employed as an agency worker or contractor during this period.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on future levels of staffing of border checkpoints at UK airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are a number of options as to how EU migration might work once we have left the European Union. We are considering various options and it would be wrong to set out further positions at this stage.

Immigration: Kurds

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (a) applied for and (b) were refused entry clearance to the UK between October 2015 and September 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Police: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget for policing in the London Borough of Havering was in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold this information. It is a matter for the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, working with the Metropolitan Police Service, to determine how to distribute their available funding.

British Nationality: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals who have been rejected for UK citizenship have since been asked to leave the UK in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No EU Nationals are asked to leave the UK as a direct consequence of having their British citizenship application refused. This is not part of the process.

Undocumented Workers: Detainees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is government policy to detain undocumented workers who claim that they are victims of trafficking or modern slavery as part of Operation Magnify.

Sarah Newton: Individuals who claim to be victims of modern slavery can be referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which identifies and supports potential victims of modern slavery. Individuals liable to immigration detention for the purposes of removal may also fall within the scope of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy, by virtue of which vulnerability issues are considered against immigration control factors in determining the appropriateness of detention. Where a positive reasonable grounds decision is then made by the NRM (that a person is a potential victim modern slavery) and an adult potential victim of modern slavery is in immigration detention they will normally need to be released and granted a minimum of 45 days for recovery and reflection unless in the particular circumstances, their detention can be justified on grounds of public order. There are no special conditions or policies applied to enforcement operations that are conducted as part of Operation Magnify. Where immigration offenders are identified, they are dealt with in accordance with all relevant policies including Detention policy, Identification of Potential Victims of Trafficking (PVoT) policy and Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy.

Immigrants: English Language

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases in 2016 was the allegation that a proxy took an English examination on behalf of another person the basis for (a) deportation and (b) detention in an immigration removal centre.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not hold this information in a format that allows us to provide the specific information requested.All published information relating to ETS is in the UKVI Transparency Data which was most recently updated in November 2016.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/Temporary and permanent migration data: November 2016 - Publications - GOV.UK

Immigrants: English Language

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many letters were sent to migrants during 2016 alleging that a proxy had sat and passed their English examination for them.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not hold this information in a format that allows us to provide the specific information requested.All published information relating to ETS is in the UKVI Transparency Data which was most recently updated in November 2016.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/Temporary and permanent migration data: November 2016 - Publications - GOV.UK

Firearms: Licensing

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on development of the planned online system for firearms licensing.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for introduction of the planned online system for firearms licensing.

Brandon Lewis: Firearm and shotgun licensing is administered by the police. The programme of work to introduce a new licensing system for England and Wales is being managed by the Police ICT Company in conjunction with police forces.Licensing of section 5 prohibited firearms is administered by the Home Office. A separate small scale IT system is being developed for the Home Office firearms licensing unit to oversee section 5 licensing applications with a view to implementation in spring 2017.

Terrorism

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been subject to questioning under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at each UK Airport since 2015.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of persons examined under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 at individual UK airports. The total number of persons examined and detained under Schedule 7 at airports, seaports, and international railway stations are published by the Government on a quarterly basis.

Human Trafficking: Asylum

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for asylum on the basis of having been trafficked or being at risk of re-trafficking have been submitted since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Each asylum case is considered on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and protection is granted where it is needed. Information regarding the reasons that an individual has claimed asylum is not centrally recorded, and could only be obtained through a manual search of individual case files. This would only be achievable at a disproportionate cost.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Labour Mobility

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many civil servants in each unit of his Department are in the redeployment pool.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no staff in the redeployment pool. It should be noted that the Scotland Office does not employ staff directly.

HM Treasury

Pay

John Penrose: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on wages for people in semi and unskilled jobs of changes to the proportion of non-UK nationals entering the adult workforce.

Simon Kirby: The evidence on the impact of immigration on wage rates is mixed, although a 2015 working paper by the Bank of England found an increase in the immigrant to native ratio has a small negative impact on average British wages, particularly within the semi/unskilled services occupational group.

Manufacturing Industries: Small Businesses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK GDP that will be represented by small business manufacturing in 2020.

Simon Kirby: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing the official forecasts. The OBR have made no assessment of the proportion of UK GDP that will be represented by small business manufacturing in 2020. However, using figures from the Office for National Statistics it can be shown that small business manufacturing made up approximately 2.1 per cent of the UK economy in 2015.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount of benefit and tax credit debt (a) repaid and (b) written-off was in each financial year from 2003-04 to 2015-16 in each region and constituent part of the UK.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount of benefit and tax credit debt owed was at the end of each financial year from 2003-04 to 2015-16 in each region and constituent part of the UK.

Jane Ellison: The information is not readily available in the form requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The overall amounts for benefit repaid, written off and owed at the end of the financial year can be found in DWP’s Annual Report and Accounts. The following link provides information for the latest financial year 2015 -2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/534934/print-ready-dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-2016.pdf The overall amounts of tax credit debt, repayments, remissions and write-offs are published in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts. The 2015-16 report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537876/HMRC_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2015-16-_print_.pdf

Coinage

Mr Iain Wright: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to business of amending coin collections systems as a result of the new pound coin entering circulation in March 2017.

Simon Kirby: During the Treasury’s consultation with industry in 2014 we received a wide range of cost estimates for the transition to the new £1 coin varying by individual business need, mostly attributed to the need to upgrade coin handling equipment. It is therefore not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the total cost to industry. We have, however, taken a number of steps to help manage these costs. For instance, the early announcement of the new coin has provided businesses with a long lead time allowing for effective and extensive planning ahead of the changeover. Individual businesses and the wider economy will also benefit from the reduced costs associated with a fall in the counterfeit rate, as well as from a currency in which there is widespread confidence.

Stamp Duties

Kevin Foster: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to increase the stamp duty threshold.

Jane Ellison: The Chancellor continues to keep all taxes under review and decisions on tax policy are made as part of the Budget process.

Bradford and Bingley

Corri Wilson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will investigate the collapse of Bradford and Bingley plc in 2008.

Simon Kirby: The Government has no plans to conduct an investigation into the collapse of Bradford and Bingley plc in 2008. The National Audit Office concluded in its report of 4 December 2009 that the public support provided to the UK’s banking system by the Treasury was justified, given the scale of both the economic and social costs if one or more major banks had collapsed. In providing that support, the Treasury met two of the Government’s principal objectives, namely maintaining financial stability and protecting retail depositors.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 28 November 2016 to the Chief Executive of the Valuation Office Agency, ref 11780517.1/CEO; and what the reasons are for the delay in responding to that letter.

Jane Ellison: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) aims to respond to correspondence from Members within 15 working days of receipt, however certain cases may take longer. The VOA apologises for the delay in responding to the correspondence while they investigated the issues raised in the letter. The Chief Executive has sent a reply.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2017 to Question 58110, whether his Department has modelled which VED bands the 1.2 million affected VW vehicles would have been placed in had the correct emissions data been available at the time of registration.

Jane Ellison: The issue with some Volkswagen diesel cars refers to their nitrogen dioxide emissions. Vehicle Excise Duty bands are set according to carbon dioxide emissions, which are not affected by the existence of “defeat devices”.

Cabinet Office

Anti-corruption Champion

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33684, on what page in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts 2015-16 the specific costs incurred by the Government's Anti-Corruption Champion are set out.

Ben Gummer: The information was not available in time to publish in the 2015-16 Annual Report and Accounts, but expenses data for the Anti-Corruption Champion, including all 2015-16 data, will be published in the Cabinet Office Quarterly Transparency Return in March and made available on GOV.UK.

Election Offences

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many convictions there have been for offences under electoral law in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many electoral law offences have been committed by (a) voters and (b) political candidates or their agents in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Chris Skidmore: This Government is committed to creating a secure and clear democracy that works for all. We published our response to the Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Pickles’ report on electoral fraud in December 2016 setting out the Government’s approach to tackling the recommendations Sir Eric made.The Electoral Commission publishes an annual analysis of electoral fraud on their website. (http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/data-and-analysis?)

Data Steering Group

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Data Steering Group last met.

Ben Gummer: The Data Steering Group last met 19 December 2016.

Extended Ministerial Offices

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many current Ministers have been allocated an extended ministerial office (EMO); how many staff work in each EMO; how many of those staff were civil servants prior to moving to the EMO; how many of those staff have been recruited from outside the civil service; and what the salary grade is of those EMO staff.

Ben Gummer: A revised version of the Ministerial Code was published on the 21st December 2016, which removed the provisions for setting up Extended Ministerial Offices (EMOs). My officials are working with the Civil Service Commission and relevant departments on the process of disbanding any remaining EMOs.

Civil Servants: Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much each Government Department has paid in bonuses to civil servants in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer: Departments publish annual information on their spend on non-consolidated performance related pay on their own websites. This information can be found on data.gov.uk. The latest set of this information was published in March 2016 and relates to the 2014/15 performance year.

Department for International Trade

World Trade Organisation

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to his written ministerial statement of 5 December 2016, Official Report, HCWS316, on the UK's commitments at the World Trade Organisation, what process he plans to adopt to secure parliamentary approval of the necessary draft schedules he is preparing.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department permits its employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: I can confirm my department currently does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.

Whales: Conservation

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts about preventing whale meat and other whale-based products from passing through EU ports.

George Eustice: The transit of whale meat through UK and EU ports remains a point of concern for the UK. Alongside other EU Member States, we have continued to push the European Commission to look at the scope for collective action within the EU. This is a complex issue involving complying with international trade rules, however, leaving the EU will present us with an opportunity to consider this issue from a different perspective.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release, UK leading global fight against illegal wildlife trade, published on 17 November 2016, how and in what areas the additional funding to tackle the illegal wildlife trade will be spent.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Northampton South, David Mackintosh, on 11 January 2016, PQ UIN 58249.

Agriculture: Migrant Workers

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Home Office on the employment of migrant workers by UK farmers after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Defra is very aware that migrant workers from other EU countries will be one of the complex issues that will have to be resolved as part of our exit negotiation and future relationship with the EU. We are currently working with colleagues across government to understand the issues and explore options.

Flood Control

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has (a) taken and (b) plans to take as a result of the floods of 2015-16 to prevent further flooding across the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In 2016, we completed 130 new flood schemes, protecting over 55,000 households. Of the 660 repair projects undertaken to reinstate defences damaged last winter, 99% have been restored with a contingency plan in place for the one remaining defence. In September we published the National Flood Resilience Review which tested our understanding of the fluvial and coastal flood risk in England and assessed the resilience of key local infrastructure to that risk. As part of the review we have committed to investing £12.5 million for temporary flood defences and have purchased an additional 20 miles of temporary barriers, bringing the total up to 25 miles located in 7 strategic depots alongside 250 pumps and 500,000 sandbags. We have been working with utility companies to improve resilience planning for infrastructure and the water and telecoms sectors have committed to increase flood protection of key local infrastructure to extreme flooding. We extended the Flood Warning Service to cover more communities and simplified the process for requesting military assistance. Last October we launched the Property Level Resilience Action Plan on how householders can protect their homes from flooding.

Department of Health

Disability Aids: Recycling

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the potential savings to the public purse of the re-use of (a) casts, (b) walking boots, (c) crutches and (d) other aids within the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: No such assessment has been made. The Government recognises the importance of repairing and recycling crutches, wheelchairs and other such mobility equipment where it is safe and cost effective to do so, however it is a matter for local determination. This is often jointly arranged between both the National Health Service and local authorities.

Social Services: Finance

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to develop a long-term sustainable funding system for social care.

David Mowat: Social care continues to be a key priority for this Government. It is critical in enabling people with care and support needs to retain their independence and dignity. That is why we have already introduced landmark reforms to ensure people should not have to sell their home in their lifetime to meet the cost of care and we remain committed to introducing a cap on care costs from 2020.The Government recognises that there needs to be reform in the medium and long term to encourage high standards across the whole country. We will put Social Care on a sustainable footing for the future, giving people the comfort of knowing that they will be cared for in their old age.

Mental Health Services: Children

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on child mental health services in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The available estimated National Health Service spend on children and young people’s mental health services in England only from 2010 is provided below. Healthcare is a devolved responsibility and the Department is not able to give information on the amount spent by the Welsh Government. NHS Programme Budgeting data included estimated spending on children and young people’s mental health between 2009/10 and 2012/13 are found on NHS England’s website here:https://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/health-investment-network/news/2012-13-programme-budgeting-data-is-now-availableNHS England’s financial reporting system estimated spending on children and young people’s mental health services in 2015/16 is set out in the following table. Clinical Commissioning Group Spend2015 to 2016 Outturn (thousands) (millions)Children and young people’s mental health (excluding learning disability)476,875Children and young people’s eating disorders39,518Total Clinical Commissioning Group Children and Young People’s Mental Health (excluding learning disability)516,393  Specialised Commissioning Spend2015 to 2016 Outturn (thousands) (millions)Tier 4295,301Total Specialised Commissioning Children and Young People’s Mental Health295,301* Children and young people’s mental health spend data is not available from NHS England’s formal financial planning and reporting before 2015/16. NHS England published the Clinical Commissioning Guidance Improvement and Assessment Framework for Mental Health on 27 October 2016. It includes a specific indicator on children and young people’s mental health that takes in planning, quality assurance and finance and is weighted towards those meeting the mental health investment standard for children and young people.

Nicola Blackwood: The available estimated National Health Service spend on children and young people’s mental health services in England only from 2010 is provided below. Healthcare is a devolved responsibility and the Department is not able to give information on the amount spent by the Welsh Government. NHS Programme Budgeting data included estimated spending on children and young people’s mental health between 2009/10 and 2012/13 are found on NHS England’s website here:https://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/health-investment-network/news/2012-13-programme-budgeting-data-is-now-availableNHS England’s financial reporting system estimated spending on children and young people’s mental health services in 2015/16 is set out in the following table. Clinical Commissioning Group Spend2015 to 2016 Outturn (thousands) (millions)Children and young people’s mental health (excluding learning disability)476,875Children and young people’s eating disorders39,518Total Clinical Commissioning Group Children and Young People’s Mental Health (excluding learning disability)516,393  Specialised Commissioning Spend2015 to 2016 Outturn (thousands) (millions)Tier 4295,301Total Specialised Commissioning Children and Young People’s Mental Health295,301* Children and young people’s mental health spend data is not available from NHS England’s formal financial planning and reporting before 2015/16. NHS England published the Clinical Commissioning Guidance Improvement and Assessment Framework for Mental Health on 27 October 2016. It includes a specific indicator on children and young people’s mental health that takes in planning, quality assurance and finance and is weighted towards those meeting the mental health investment standard for children and young people.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech on the shared society of 9 January 2017, what proportion of staff members will receive mental health first aid training in each secondary school.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department of Health is working with the Department for Education and Mental Health First Aid England to prepare an approach so that training in Mental Health First Aid will have been made available to at least one member of staff in every secondary school in England by 2019. The scheme will commence this year.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the recommendations in his Department's Future in Mind report of March 2015 have been implemented; and for what reasons the remaining recommendations have not yet been implemented.

Nicola Blackwood: The Government has accepted and initiated the vision set out in Future in Mind in full. The report sets out ambitions for areas of work rather than recommendations of specific policy to be implemented. However, since the publication of the report, the Government has introduced the first ever mental health waiting times, boosted children’s mental health funding by £1.4 billion directed to Local Transformation Plans in every area in the country. We have also made good progress in enhancing existing maternal, perinatal and early years health services, expanding Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies and eradicating the practice of using police cells for under-18s in mental health crisis.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release on mental health service reform of 9 January 2017, in which countries has digitally assisted therapy already proved successful.

Nicola Blackwood: Evidence from programmes in Australia and Sweden have informed the Digital Mental Health Strategy that will be implemented as part of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme will run a pilot of digitally-assisted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in up to 30 clinical commissioning groups to establish an evidence base in England, and will continue to learn from other successful examples both here and abroad.

Mental Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis is for his statement in his oral contribution of 9 January 2017, Official Report, column 37, on mental health and NHS performance, that the NHS is treating 1,400 more patients through mental health services every day.

Nicola Blackwood: The number of people in contact with National Health Service funded secondary mental health services and learning disability services is reported in the Mental Health Services Dataset, which is managed and published by NHS Digital.

Mental Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the press release issued by the Prime Minister on 8 January 2017, where the 88 new places of safety being created for people experiencing mental health illness are.

Nicola Blackwood: A list of local areas who will receive funding under the improving health based places of safety capital scheme is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/566778/approved_projects.pdf

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) crisis cafes, (b) community clinics and (c) mental health drop-in centres have closed since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis is for his statement in his oral contribution of 9 January 2017, Official Report, column 37, on mental health and NHS performance, that one million more people with mental health conditions will access mental health services by 2020.

Nicola Blackwood: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out an ambition that a million more people with mental health problems should be able to access high quality care by 2020/21. This is based on NHS England estimates, on the increase in people accessing services per year; the total number of people accessing services per year; and the total new programme expenditure per year. NHS England also published Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, which lays out a roadmap for delivering the ambitions of the Five Year Forward View, which can be found here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health can be found here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mental-Health-Taskforce-FYFV-final.pdf

NHS: Sustainable Development

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish (a) the names of heads of sustainability and transformation plans who have financial interests in or links to private healthcare companies or consultancies and (b) a full declaration of those interests.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's policy is on whether people tasked with drawing up sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) are permitted to have business interests which mean they could profit from healthcare privatisation, or otherwise be financially affected by the measures set out in the STPs.

David Mowat: The names of the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint leads are available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/stps/view-stps/ Declarations of interest details for the STP leaders will be available on the individual websites/annual reports of the organisations by which they are substantively employed. Those involved in the STP process have to adhere to the conflict of interest guidance for the organisation by whom they are substantively employed. For clinical commissiong groups, guidance is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/pc-co-comms/coi/

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent in (a) cash and (b) real terms on child and adolescent mental health services per young person in England in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: Spending on children and young people’s services is not reported per head. NHS England is planning to incorporate a spend per head metric into their mental health published information from 2017/18.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent in (a) cash and (b) real terms on child and adolescent mental health services per young person in England in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: Spending on children and young people’s services is not reported per head. NHS England is planning to incorporate a spend per head metric into their mental health published information from 2017/18.

Cerebral Palsy

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what records his Department keeps of the number of children born with cerebral palsy each year in each (a) community care group area, (b) local authority, (c) region and (d) nationally.

David Mowat: The Department does not collect information on the number of children born with cerebral palsy each year in each community care group area, local authority, region and nationally.

Dementia

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential link between living near a busy road and risk of dementia; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not had any formal discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential link between living near a busy road and risk of dementia. In the ‘Challenge on Dementia 2020’ published in February 2015, we set out our aims to improve public awareness and understanding of the factors which can increase the risk of developing dementia; how people can reduce their risk by living more healthily; and a better understanding of environmental triggers that can exacerbate the progression of dementia.

Pharmacy: Negligence

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to stop pharmacists from facing criminal prosecution for making prescription errors.

David Mowat: We remain fully committed to making this change. We have consulted on our proposals to put in place a defence to the criminal sanction for inadvertent dispensing errors and received good support from patients, carers, healthcare professionals, pharmacy organisations and other bodies. We are working through the necessary processes to change the law. We are in the final stages of clearance and hope to lay the Order shortly.

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the East of England Ambulance Service improves its response to fluctuations in seasonal demand.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Improvement (NHSI) has been working with East of England Ambulance Service to ensure that its winter plans are robust, with the appropriate level of resource necessary to provide a safe service and cope with the increase in demand. That includes the use of private ambulance services as appropriate. NHSI has also worked alongside NHS England to ensure that additional funding has been made available from commissioners, as part of a Remedial Action Plan, to secure additional capacity to cope with the increased demand.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the bed occupancy rates of each mental health trust in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England publishes data online on the average daily number and percentage of available and occupied consultant-led beds each quarter. A table that shows the average percentage occupancy of open overnight general and acute beds by National Health Service mental health provider by quarter, 2011-12 Q2 to 2016-17 Q2, is attached. Health is a devolved matter.



PQ59089 - attached file
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32.63 KB)

Mental Illness: Work Capability Assessments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from mental health charities in relation to work capability assessments for people with mental health issues; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: As part of the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper published by the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions, we are consulting on ways to reform the Work Capability Assessment, to ensure people receive the individualised employment and health support they need alongside the right financial support. This includes people with mental health conditions. As part of the on-going consultation we are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including mental health charities, to discuss ideas for reform and to establish the best way forward.

Mental Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of people on Care Programme Approach who do not have a crisis plan in place; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The following table shows the number of people on the Care Programme Approach (CPA) without a crisis plan, at the end of the reporting period, in September 2016.  September 2016People on CPA176,620People on CPA without a crisis plan96,924Percentage on CPA without a crisis plan54.9% Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS DigitalNote: The measure includes people with a crisis plan created or updated within the last 12 months. It is best practice for each person who is on the CPA to have a crisis plan within their overall care plan. The Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice also makes it clear that patients, their carers and families should be involved in the care planning process so they can be involved in decisions about their care.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Illness

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have attended accident and emergency departments in England for issues related to mental health in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Information on the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances where the primary diagnosis was a psychiatric condition is available from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). This is shown in the table below and covers the period 2010-11 to 2015-16. The rise shown in the following table may be as a result of reduced stigma in relation to mental health and increased quality of recording. Count of all A&E attendances (excluding planned attendances)1 and A&E attendances (excluding planned attendances) where there was a primary diagnosis of a psychiatric condition2 for 2010-11 to 2015-16 YearAll A&E attendances (excluding planned attendances)A&E attendances (excluding planned) with a primary diagnosis of psychiatric conditionProportion of all attendances (excluding planned attendances) with primary diagnosis of psychiatric condition2010-1115,818,84693,1760.59%2011-1217,286,648112,1730.65%2012-1318,005,435124,0120.69%2013-1418,197,530142,2650.78%2014-1519,254,853145,9260.76%2015-1620,168,071165,3710.82%Source: Hospital Episode Data (HES) NHS Digital Notes:1A&E attendances (excluding planned attendances): planned attendances have been excluded from these figures 2 A&E diagnosis - psychiatric conditionThe recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice. The diagnosis code used was 35 = Psychiatric conditions.

Cerebral Palsy

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training healthcare workers receive to increase awareness of signs of cerebral palsy in babies and children.

David Mowat: Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the regulators upon graduation. For example the Nursing and Midwifery Council sets the standard for nursing which the HEIs must meet when developing curricula and training programmes. The medical Royal Colleges, for example the Royal College of General Practitioners, have responsibility for developing postgraduate training curricula for doctor for approval by the General Medical Council (GMC). Health Education England works with regulatory bodies such as the GMC, and the organisations that design curricula such as the medical Royal Colleges, to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients. Continuing Professional Development is the responsibility of individual practitioners and their employers.

St Ann’s Hospital

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Minister for Public Health plans to meet the hon. Members for Tottenham, Enfield Southgate, Hornsey and Wood Green, Enfield North and Edmonton to discuss a new mental health hospital at St Ann's.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to send the written briefing on progress at St Ann's Hospital which was promised on 26 September and 2 December 2016 to the hon. Members for Tottenham, Enfield Southgate, Hornsey and Wood Green, Enfield North and Edmonton.

Nicola Blackwood: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust has received approval from NHS Improvement of its Strategic Outline Case for the redevelopment of St Ann’s Hospital. The Trust is now working on developing its Outline Business Case. I am agreeable to a meeting to discuss the issue of the redevelopment of St Ann’s Hospital. It may be more useful to have a meeting later in the process of the redevelopment when more information is available. The hon. Member is encouraged to continue to engage with the local National Health Service and NHS Improvement directly on this matter as this is the best avenue to address local concerns.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56695 and with reference to the press release issued by the Prime Minister on 8 January 2017, what the reasons are for the discrepancy between the estimated £11.7 billion figure that release said was being spent on mental health and the estimates for such spending derived from the Mental Health Dashboard.

Nicola Blackwood: The difference between the published spend and the £11.7 billion estimate is that the published spend relates to clinical commissioning groups only. The £11.7 billion includes mental health spend in specialised commissioning as well as mental health spend on other direct commissioning. NHS England does not report spend on mental health in other direct commissioning.